Use of Force
244 Articles

Strategic Attack on Iran: Airpower’s Promises, Limits, and Lessons
Operation Epic Fury demonstrates that airpower is both essential and insufficient. A review of what the campaign reveals about airpower's promises, limits and lessons in Iran.

Collection: Iran, Israel and the United States at War (2025-2026 Operations)
Experts analyze the US-Israel Iran military conflicts - covering nuclear diplomacy; strategic, security, and regional implications; and domestic and international law.

When Civilian Infrastructure Becomes a Lawful Target
Civilian infrastructure is not targetable merely because it is economically significant or politically useful to strike, but only when it offers a definite military advantage.

Clausewitz on Operation Epic Fury
Applying Clausewitz’s principles to Operation Epic Fury reveals the war’s strategic design–architecture linking military action to political purpose–was deficient from…

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers, Operation Southern Spear, Operation Absolute Resolve
Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues.

A Path For Middle Powers and a Rules-Based International Order: A Functional Perspective
German scholars argue that from a realpolitik perspective, commitment to international law is essential for States whose power is limited.

Timeline of Boat Strikes and Related Actions
A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Key Questions on U.S. Killing Tren de Aragua Leader Inside Venezuela
Does the killing of Tren de Aragua's leader by the U.S. military in Venezuela constitute murder? An extrajudicial killing? What was its purported legal basis?

Sudan Has Become a Transnational Marketplace of Violence: Effective Responses Require Targeting the Sources
The most consequential drivers of the war in Sudan are foreign states, private military contractors, and transnational criminal networks.

Blockade and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter
"The U.S. military’s enforcement of the ongoing naval blockade of Iran may have now resulted in fresh violations of the U.N. Charter against four entirely different countries."

Drones Over Europe: The Prohibition on the Use of Force and Unintended Harm
Russia’s drone incursions into E.U. territory raise important questions about how unintended engagements are regulated under international law.

Ukraine and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression: Redefining International Justice
The tribunal to prosecute Russia's crime of aggression seeks to close one of the most enduring gaps in international criminal law and strengthen the U.N. Charter.